Method of and apparatus for dividing asphalt



Dec. 12, 1933. R A, CURRAN METHOD OF AND KPPARATUS FOR DIVIDING ASPHALTFiled June 23, ,1930

M lumu Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FORmvmmo ASPHALT Roy A. Curran, Bayonne, N. 1., assignor to Standard OilDevelopment Company, a corporation of Delaware Application June 23,1930. Serial No. 463,331

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of bituminous material and moreparticularly to the division of bituminous bodies into relatively smallparticles. The invention will be fully understood from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in whichlatter Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of apreferred form of the apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a detail of the apparatus.

In the drawing, reference'numeral l designates a container, or hopper,which is adapted to receive particles, or pellets 2, of the material tobe treated such as asphalt. The hopper is provided with a closure 3 forits discharge opening. A beam 4 extends transversely across and issupported by the hopper in spaced -relation to the bottom of the hopper.

Means for dividing melted asphalt into relatively small particlesiscarried by the beam 4. This means comprises a rotatable disk 6nonrotatably associated with a shaft 7. The shaft is rotatably supportedby means of a yoke 8 on plate 9 which are secured to the beam 4. Abearing 10 is interposed between the yoke and the shaft and a thrustbearing 11 is disposed between the end of the shaft and the plate. Thedisk is driven in rotation from a source of power not shown operatingupon a drive pulley 13 on shaft 14. The shaft is rotatably supported bymeans of the container 1 and one leg of the yoke 8. Shaft 14 operatesthrough pinion 15 and gear 16 to drive the shaft 7.

Rotatable disk 6 is heated to elevated temperatures by means of aheating element 17 disposed closely adjacent the underside of the disk.Heating element 1'7 is provided with an opening which is adapted tofreely receive the shaft 7 and carriesa sleeve 18 encircling the shaftand secured non-rotatably to the yoke 8 by means of a set screw 19., Theheating element contains a resistance coil 20, as shown, which isconnected to any suitable source of electric energy, not shown. Thetemperature of the asphalt receiving face of the rotatable disk ismaintained by the heating element at preferably not substantially lessthan the melting point of the asphalt being treated.

The air adjoining the asphalt receiving face of the rotatable disk ismaintained at elevated temperatures by means of a heating plate 22 whichis supported above and in spaced relation to the rotatable disk by meansof bolts 23 and plate 24 which latter is supported by means of. thebeams 25 extending across and secured to the container 1. A resistancecoil 26 iscontained in the heating plate 22. Heat radiated from theheating plate maintains the air between the plate and rotatable disk atpreferably not substantially less than the melting point of the asphaltor at such a temperature that the asphalt is not congealed while incontact with the rotatable disk. This body of air is preferably held ata constant temperature in accordance with the melting point of theasphalt by using an automatic electric thermostatic control, not

radially outwardly in small pellets due to centrifugal force. As thesmall pellets of asphalt are hurled outwardly from the rotatable disk,they are chilled and congealed by the air and are accumulated in thecontainer as separate pellets.

While the invention has been described as applied to the treatment ofasphalt, it will be understood that it can be applied to the treatmentof other bituminous materials as well as such materials as commercialpitch from any source, grease, and the like which can be melted into afluid condition. It is intended to include such materials in the scopeof the appended claims.

Various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims, inwhich it is desired to claim all novelty inherent in the invention asbroadly as the prior art permits.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for dividing liquid material into particles, comprising arotatable disk, means for feeding the material to the disk, means forheating the material receiving face of the disk, and an electric heatingplate adjacent said face adapted to heat the air adjoining the face.

2. The method of dividing asphalt into particles, which comprisesdirecting the asphalt in a melted condition against a rotating surface,and

maintaining the surface and the air adjoining said surface at elevatedtemperatures whereby the asphalt is maintained in a fluid conditionwhile in contact with the surface.

3. The method of dividing asphalt into particles, which comprisesdirecting the asphalt in a melted condition against a rotating surface,and maintaining the surface and air adjoining said surface atapproximately the melting point of the asphalt.

4. The method of dividing asphalt into particles, which comprisesdirecting the asphalt in a melted condition against a rotating surface,heating the surface, and heating the air adjoining the surface wherebythe asphalt is maintained in a fluid condition while in contact with thesurface.

ROY A. CURRAN.

